Mt Whitney Zone Forums Active Threads

Thanks for the input everyone and I appreciate the comments, John, regarding safety when hiking in the dark, especially in that area above Mirror Lake. The good news is that I've been on the Whitney Main trail almost every summer for the last 10 years, so I am aware of those risks and issues. Having said that, this thread has helped me think through the scenario a bit. Regardless of my experience, I'm leaning toward adding an extra day and starting at a more normal time. I CAN do that 16 or so miles from WP to the summit and over to Guitar Lake/Crabtree in one long day with a full pack, but why take that extra punishment if I can simply add a day and break it up? Sometimes my goal oriented mind gets ahead of my 57 year old body.

My entry date is actually July 18th and it appears I may have an extra permit. If anyone is interested and available to hike that day, let me know. If it ends up unused as I now expect, you are welcome to join me. No need to commit to the full hike to Onion Valley. Otherwise, I will cancel the extra slot and make it available for others to find on Recreation.gov.

https://www.compass.com/listing/whitney-portal-unit-5-lone-pine-ca-93545/1064625468776090273/

This is a rare opportunity to own a beautiful getaway cabin in the heart of Whitney Portal. Gaze out of a picture window that frames the view of Mt. Whitney. Take hikes on the many trails or just kick back with your family in the quiet, peaceful mountains. This beauty of a cabin was built in 1949 and has been in the same family ever since! The main level has a kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. The second level has an equal amount of space with two more sleeping areas and plenty of storage. The cabin will comfortably accommodate 8 people. There is a new generator for your electrical needs and a large propane tank. The land is leased through the USFS. Owners must have a separate permanent address elsewhere.

My favorite time of the year for hiking is the weekend around the solstice, and I was excited to revisit Tulainyo Lake and the surrounding peaks. Fellow forum contributor Aadi and his friend Jared were interested in hiking Russell and my plan was to either join them on Russell or attempt Mt. Morgenson, which always captivated my interest given its height (13,927'), remoteness and lack of ascents. I felt really good as we made our way up the cirque toward Cleaver Col. The cirque was throwing cold wind at us in all directions. The more technical section leading to the col was snow free and had about 100' of easy 3rd class moves. As we attained the col, we found Tulainyo Lake completely unfrozen and a deep blue. My friends headed toward the Russell-Carillon saddle while I made way down around the lake, past the North Ridge of Russell to begin the easy scramble up to Morgenson. The scramble itself was pretty easy and toward the top there was a small section of breezy 3rd class near the summit block. I envisioned myself looking through a register with minimal entries and maybe even signed by Norman Clyde but unfortunately no register was to be found. As I was pulling my phone out of my pocket to take some photos, my airpods fell out of my pocket as well and dropped deep beneath the summit block boulders - oops. I took a few photos and then started down, looping around the North Ridge and heading up to the Russell-Carillon saddle. The climb up to the saddle was the most enjoyable climbing of the day. I made my way down the soft slopes toward UBSL and then slogged down to the Portal.

While the stats of this hike don't suggest a high level of difficulty, I would point out that the sustained duration above 13,000' (for me it was around 5 hours) did trigger a little bit of altitude related symptoms.

Started around 5am
Cleaver col at 930am (took about 30 minutes of breaks before)
Morgenson summit at 12pm
Russell-Carillon at 230pm
Back to Portal at 515pm

Coming up the e ledges with alpenglow


Aadi and Jared head up Cleaver Col


Views of the Cleaver open up


Frozen condensation


Aadi approaches the class 3 on Cleaver Col


Jared enjoying the views


Tulainyo Lake and Tunnabora


Mt. Morgenson comes into view past the North Ridge of Russell


Class 3+ Ridge to Russell from Morgenson


North Face of Whitney from Morgenson summit


Mt. Russell from Morgenson summit


Snowless class 3 ascent up to Russell-Carillon


Heel plunging descent to UBSL

Awesome! Thank you!

I was on NAP on 6/11/22. It is doable, but there is still some snow and I would estimate one of the steps, close to the top of the pass has 6" of clearance before you take a spill you'd rather not experience. There are some cairns placed just above the last switchback, below the top of the pass for a 20' class 3 scramble that is doable.

OAP is not even close to being ready, and is not an option. I walked town OAP to the snow field and it is a long time from being cleared.

Thanks for the thanks, Mark. I’m always glad to share what I know with anyone who wants to learn. Not very patient with newbies who already know everything. I always try to remember that I was once a newbie, and that I made my share of stupid mistakes.

Regardless of where I’m going, I always bring enough clothes to survive the night relatively comfortably . Fortunately I have not had to test it out. My friend who broke his leg in the backcountry long ago rarely is without down pants in his pack.

I recognized many spots in that video. The descent from Russell looked very familiar. I didn’t recognize anything on the north face of Whitney. I think his route was more technical than mine, but mine had more loose crap. When I did my similar trip, I had the advantage of knowing all the rest of the climbing routes. I didn’t record my time, but I think it was between 10 and 11 hours, car to car, including Carillon. I’m not nearly that fast 20 years later.

Great post and accomplishment, Thanks for sharing.

Frank, watching his video, it's on the right, on a switchback or two above the cables section.